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Starlings
‘But I suppose Steven and I knew something about broken things––that sometimes you just couldn’t mend them. Never stopped trying though. Because you can’t—until you stop and leave the broken thing behind.’ Struggling to bear the legacy of her grandparents’ experience of the Holocaust and her mother’s desperate fragility, Sally seeks to reconnect with her brother Steven. Once close, Steven seems a stranger to her now that he has left London for Brighton. The echoes of their history once bound them––but it is an inheritance Steven can no longer share. Starlings reaches back through three generations of inherited trauma, exploring how the impact of untold stories ricochets down the years. As Sally winds her way back to catch the moment when Steven slipped away, she collects the fractured words and sliding memories that might piece together her grandparents’ journeys. Having always looked through the eyes of ghosts she cannot appease, she at last comes to hear what speechless mouths might have perhaps Before may be somewhere we can never truly leave behind and After simply the place we must try to make our home. In delicate brushstrokes, this extraordinary first novel captures a family unravelling as the unspeakable finds a voice. It is by turns sad, hopeful, and deeply compelling.
206 pages, Paperback
Published January 2, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 28, 2016
Starlings, by Miranda Gold, is an intense and evocative journey through the mind of a troubled young woman haunted by her family history. Sally lives with her elderly parents in their home in London. Her mother has been ill for almost as long as Sally can remember, suffering from debilitating paranoia. She is cared for by her long suffering husband, a man who has had to put his wife’s needs before his own and their children’s. Sally’s grandparents, now dead, were Jews caught up in the holocaust of the Second World War. The lasting effects of the trauma they suffered left its imprint on Sally and her younger brother, Steven. Steven left home four years ago, escaping to Brighton without luggage or plans.
The story is set over a twenty-four hour period during which Sally visits Steven, an annual excursion fraught with emotion. The sibling’s relationship, although close and happy in childhood, is now shadowed. Sally is afraid that if she raises certain topics in conversation she will lose what is left of the brother she remembers and loves. She clings to those memories and longs for their closeness to return.
It took a few pages before I found the rhythm of the prose. It has a depth that demands concentration but the reward makes any effort worthwhile.
Growing up Sally did not comprehend much of what was happening around her and her brother as they played. They were offered “a palimpset of stories and silence”. Sally ponders how many of her memories are based on first hand knowledge, how much is accurate and what she has missed from the snippets shared or overheard.
The adults survived in a kind of denial caused by fear. Sally’s grandfather was hospitalised when his wife tried to burn off the camp numbers tattoo’d on his arm. The children watched as she wielded her cigarette, yet heard it talked of as an accident. When the truth was suggested the speaker was talked down.
Sally is often told that she has her grandfather’s eyes and understands that this causes her mother pain. Her inability to prevent this adds to the hurts which permeate the family.
Internalising so much from the generations before has left Sally unsure of how to function in company. She longs to spend time with her brother, to leave the never discussed difficulties and the soundtrack of her mother’s demands behind. When the reality of her trip to Brighton does not match the plans she had conjured in her head she recalls other visits dogged by disappointments which she blames on herself. Her mind overflows with comments and questions that she dare not voice for fear of Steven’s reaction. She tries to fathom what his life has become when her own, it seems, cannot move on.
I found the story challenging but deeply moving. It reveals an effect of the holocaust that I had not considered before. Having discovered that it is inspired by the author’s own family history I am impressed by its lack of rancour.
The disconnect between Sally and the more typical Brighton nightlife offers a poignant juxtaposition. She longs to repeat actions that formed her happier memories. Her travel bag contains little, yet she is burdened with thoughts almost too heavy to bear.
The poetic imagery and loneliness of the protagonist create a powerful voice. This is a beautifully written book that I recommend you read. It is a story that I will be contemplating for some time to come.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Karnac.
The story is set over a twenty-four hour period during which Sally visits Steven, an annual excursion fraught with emotion. The sibling’s relationship, although close and happy in childhood, is now shadowed. Sally is afraid that if she raises certain topics in conversation she will lose what is left of the brother she remembers and loves. She clings to those memories and longs for their closeness to return.
It took a few pages before I found the rhythm of the prose. It has a depth that demands concentration but the reward makes any effort worthwhile.
Growing up Sally did not comprehend much of what was happening around her and her brother as they played. They were offered “a palimpset of stories and silence”. Sally ponders how many of her memories are based on first hand knowledge, how much is accurate and what she has missed from the snippets shared or overheard.
The adults survived in a kind of denial caused by fear. Sally’s grandfather was hospitalised when his wife tried to burn off the camp numbers tattoo’d on his arm. The children watched as she wielded her cigarette, yet heard it talked of as an accident. When the truth was suggested the speaker was talked down.
Sally is often told that she has her grandfather’s eyes and understands that this causes her mother pain. Her inability to prevent this adds to the hurts which permeate the family.
Internalising so much from the generations before has left Sally unsure of how to function in company. She longs to spend time with her brother, to leave the never discussed difficulties and the soundtrack of her mother’s demands behind. When the reality of her trip to Brighton does not match the plans she had conjured in her head she recalls other visits dogged by disappointments which she blames on herself. Her mind overflows with comments and questions that she dare not voice for fear of Steven’s reaction. She tries to fathom what his life has become when her own, it seems, cannot move on.
I found the story challenging but deeply moving. It reveals an effect of the holocaust that I had not considered before. Having discovered that it is inspired by the author’s own family history I am impressed by its lack of rancour.
The disconnect between Sally and the more typical Brighton nightlife offers a poignant juxtaposition. She longs to repeat actions that formed her happier memories. Her travel bag contains little, yet she is burdened with thoughts almost too heavy to bear.
The poetic imagery and loneliness of the protagonist create a powerful voice. This is a beautifully written book that I recommend you read. It is a story that I will be contemplating for some time to come.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Karnac.
January 9, 2017
I would like to thank TBC, Karnac books and the author for a free copy of this book in return a honest review.
Starlings is an intense story of a young and troubled women whose family who suffered under the Holocaust. Importantly it's a tale that seeks to remind us that generations later, the trauma is still vivid and affecting the children and grand children of survivors and victims.
The problem for me is that sometimes the story was lost amongst the writers very descriptive and poetic style of writing. It was swamped almost. Yet at other times it was clearly and beautifully evocative. It took some time to get into the story, and it was certainly rewarding when you did, but the story at times was simply swamped by the stop start way, the writer was trying to give us a glimpse into the women's troubled mind.
It was at times very moving and the writer is undoubtedly very talented.
Starlings is an intense story of a young and troubled women whose family who suffered under the Holocaust. Importantly it's a tale that seeks to remind us that generations later, the trauma is still vivid and affecting the children and grand children of survivors and victims.
The problem for me is that sometimes the story was lost amongst the writers very descriptive and poetic style of writing. It was swamped almost. Yet at other times it was clearly and beautifully evocative. It took some time to get into the story, and it was certainly rewarding when you did, but the story at times was simply swamped by the stop start way, the writer was trying to give us a glimpse into the women's troubled mind.
It was at times very moving and the writer is undoubtedly very talented.
January 9, 2017
‘Starlings’ is a fascinating short novel, of the kind that is rarely published in today’s ‘quick-fix’ society. It is not an easy read, but reading this novel is a hypnotic experience, one is pulled in by the story of Sally, as she travels to Brighton for her annual visit to her brother Steven, haunted by childhood memories and inherited trauma that goes back much further, to her grandparents’ experience of the Holocaust.
Sally has a compelling need to find routine in her annual visit to Steven but she faces disappointment: Steven cannot provide what she seeks. Gold often combines memory with present drama, so that we are very much inside Sally’s experience – one moment caught in the past, examining the marks on her grandfather’s arm - the next on a Brighton pavement confronted by an Elvis lookalike in a velvet suit, seeking the pub.
I was reminded, when reading, of the prose of Woolf or Joyce, a stream-of-consciousness narrative that draws one into the mind of the protagonist and pulls us into particular moments of experience and memory, explored in vivid and often unexpected detail. Repeated phrases echo across the years, images ricochet across time, imprinting themselves in the mind of Sally and the reader. Gold has an uncanny ability to combine complex ideas with sudden moments of absolute clarity. The prose is not what one expects in the contemporary novel, but I did not feel that I had to work to uncover meaning, but rather to trust the author to guide me into the heart of Sally’s secret.
‘Starlings’ is a novel that I have no doubt will deserve re-reading; Gold’s raw voice is extremely memorable, she has genuine talent.
Sally has a compelling need to find routine in her annual visit to Steven but she faces disappointment: Steven cannot provide what she seeks. Gold often combines memory with present drama, so that we are very much inside Sally’s experience – one moment caught in the past, examining the marks on her grandfather’s arm - the next on a Brighton pavement confronted by an Elvis lookalike in a velvet suit, seeking the pub.
I was reminded, when reading, of the prose of Woolf or Joyce, a stream-of-consciousness narrative that draws one into the mind of the protagonist and pulls us into particular moments of experience and memory, explored in vivid and often unexpected detail. Repeated phrases echo across the years, images ricochet across time, imprinting themselves in the mind of Sally and the reader. Gold has an uncanny ability to combine complex ideas with sudden moments of absolute clarity. The prose is not what one expects in the contemporary novel, but I did not feel that I had to work to uncover meaning, but rather to trust the author to guide me into the heart of Sally’s secret.
‘Starlings’ is a novel that I have no doubt will deserve re-reading; Gold’s raw voice is extremely memorable, she has genuine talent.
January 2, 2017
I have struggled with this book, not due to the story which is evocative and brings a side of the holocaust to life which I haven't read about before; my problem was with the writing and the way the book is written - it didn't surprise me to discover the author is also a playwrite, this would make an excellent screen play.
If you could live with the style of writing this is definitely worth a read for the story.
If you could live with the style of writing this is definitely worth a read for the story.
December 10, 2016
208 pages of beautifully constructed, carefully thought out, metaphorical prose. Not a lot of story. Sorry, not for me.
October 27, 2017
Sometimes book reviews are really hard to write. There were aspects of this book that I absolutely adored. The writing is clever, beautiful at times, and the way the author uses her writing to so accurately portray the chaos going on in Sally, the narrator’s, head is so very clever. And it works, for the most part. The repetitions replicate the way we have of going over and over a problem, and give a real rhythm to the prose, and the language is poetic at times. Sometimes I stopped and re-read a sentence, or a whole paragraph, because something was so well-written that I just had to read it again.
The story of Sally, and her troubled relationship with her brother Steven, who she adores, and her guilt and mixed feelings about her parents with who she lives, is interesting and thoughtful. The back story about Sally’s grandparents, who escaped the holocaust, is so well done, drip-fed almost, intriguing and sorrowful and poignant and a real strength of the novel.
But the strength of really good poetry is that it’s concise. Every single word matters. It requires precision. And that’s what I felt was somewhat lacking here. Sometimes an image, a feeling, the description of a moment, was taken too far, stretched too thinly, repeated too much. And reading then became a chore rather than a pleasure.
It’s not an easy novel to read. It requires patience and the prose does take a bit of getting used to. It is too dense in places, the story lost under the prose, rather than shown through it. I wish an editor had used a restraining hand, and allowed the really good bits to shine the way they deserve.
So do I recommend it? Yes. If only because there are moments in the writing that are truly brilliant, and it’s worth it for that. And for the passages that sweep over you with their rhythm, when it is like reading really fantastic poetry. And because Sally, is, at times, compelling and her story is a powerful one.
The story of Sally, and her troubled relationship with her brother Steven, who she adores, and her guilt and mixed feelings about her parents with who she lives, is interesting and thoughtful. The back story about Sally’s grandparents, who escaped the holocaust, is so well done, drip-fed almost, intriguing and sorrowful and poignant and a real strength of the novel.
But the strength of really good poetry is that it’s concise. Every single word matters. It requires precision. And that’s what I felt was somewhat lacking here. Sometimes an image, a feeling, the description of a moment, was taken too far, stretched too thinly, repeated too much. And reading then became a chore rather than a pleasure.
It’s not an easy novel to read. It requires patience and the prose does take a bit of getting used to. It is too dense in places, the story lost under the prose, rather than shown through it. I wish an editor had used a restraining hand, and allowed the really good bits to shine the way they deserve.
So do I recommend it? Yes. If only because there are moments in the writing that are truly brilliant, and it’s worth it for that. And for the passages that sweep over you with their rhythm, when it is like reading really fantastic poetry. And because Sally, is, at times, compelling and her story is a powerful one.
September 17, 2022
Recommended by a national bookseller of some renown, what's offered on the back cover doesn't really transpire through the pages.
Written with more affectation than style, Starlings confuses rather than intrigues, moving to annoys with consummate ease.
I suspect it is largely lauded because people weren't sure what it was they read and played it safe.
Written with more affectation than style, Starlings confuses rather than intrigues, moving to annoys with consummate ease.
I suspect it is largely lauded because people weren't sure what it was they read and played it safe.
January 14, 2017
Thanks to TBC for my copy to review.
When I read the blurb I thought it sounded interesting, not my usual read. This book focuses on Sally, who is desperate to rekindle her relationship with Steven her brother.
It was quite difficult to read at times as it was mainly descriptive. I think the story would be more suited for the stage.
When I read the blurb I thought it sounded interesting, not my usual read. This book focuses on Sally, who is desperate to rekindle her relationship with Steven her brother.
It was quite difficult to read at times as it was mainly descriptive. I think the story would be more suited for the stage.
January 1, 2017
Starlings is a very short novel, just over 200 pages in the paperback edition, but it packs such a punch and those few pages leave a lingering feeling of mixed and enlightening emotions for the reader.
This is a story that demands a lot of the reader; the writing style is difficult to connect with at first, but as this clever author continues, her words begin to compel and intrigue.
Set over just twenty-four hours, this is Sally's story, as she lives it. She's a troubled and complex girl, desperate for the love of the brother that she adores, and who left the family some years before. Her family are damaged and their history has formed Sally's life. The memories of her parents, and grandparents. Memories that have passed from one generation down to the next, forming them, making them ill and preventing them from forming their own, fresh memories.
Sally visits her brother every year. It is her opportunity to escape from the fear and disease filled home that overwhelms her. Yet, she is unable to be free and enjoy herself. Her mind continues to whirl with questions and self-doubt.
Starlings is a challenging novel. It is intense and sometimes seems almost something of a battle. It is, however, a beautifully written battle, with poetic prose that is expertly paced. Brave and poignant, I'd certainly recommend it
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December 6, 2016
This is a book about a troubled young women, who lives with her long suffering father and a mother that seems to be bi-polar.
Her grandparents escaped the Nazi concentration camps, and her grandmother tries to burn the numbers tatooed on her grandfathers arm off with a cigarette.
The young women goes to visit her brother in Brighton and the book is set in a 24 hour period.
I found the book's style of prose, rather boring and unfortunately hard going, which was a shame as it gave an insight into the effects of the Holocaust which I had never thought of.
I was given the book in a goodreads giveaway.
Her grandparents escaped the Nazi concentration camps, and her grandmother tries to burn the numbers tatooed on her grandfathers arm off with a cigarette.
The young women goes to visit her brother in Brighton and the book is set in a 24 hour period.
I found the book's style of prose, rather boring and unfortunately hard going, which was a shame as it gave an insight into the effects of the Holocaust which I had never thought of.
I was given the book in a goodreads giveaway.
December 2, 2016
I recieved this book off goodreads for my honest opinion.
Really gutted with having to give this book 2 stars but I just didn't get the book.
I found it hard to imagine the surroundings and thought it was all just confusing!
The book would jump from one thing to another without actually saying.
Really wished I had enjoyed it because when I read the sypnosis it sounded really good.
Really gutted with having to give this book 2 stars but I just didn't get the book.
I found it hard to imagine the surroundings and thought it was all just confusing!
The book would jump from one thing to another without actually saying.
Really wished I had enjoyed it because when I read the sypnosis it sounded really good.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews